Since the SEND Green Paper was launched in late March, we have been busy consulting with parents and carers of children with SEND, through our ‘Your Say on SEND’ survey. We’ve engaged with our workforce, parent and carer groups and organisations such as the Disabled Children Partnership.
On the 22 of July, we responded to the SEND Green Paper consultation. We shared with the Department for Education the data and testimonies we have collected as evidence about the proposals.
We believe there remain significant gaps in the Green Paper, and that some of the proposals will worsen delays and access to support for children with SEND. This includes proposed changes to the way that schools are presented to parents and carers, and reform focused on creating a banding and tariff system which categorises needs.
Following our engagement, we have put forward 15 recommendations based on our findings. These were:
- It must be made clearer to families what rights and support they are entitled to
- Any SEND reform should be co-designed with children and families
- Changes must join up the system for children and families
- There must be mechanisms which ensure compliance with the law
- Parental choice must be retained
- Families should have access to an independent advocate
- Ofsted inspections must be more focused on SEND
- The Government must take steps to address delays in the system
- Family Hubs should include SEND support
- Supported internships should be more inclusive
- Post-16 support must be a priority
- National and local data should be used and improved
- Children’s needs should not be made to fit into funding bands
- A clear timeline for reform is needed
- Gaps in the Green Paper must be addressed, including physical disability, school-based avoidance, and diagnostic overshadowing
We will shortly be publishing a summary report of our findings and recommendations. For now, you can read our full response to the Green Paper consultation here.
The SEND proposals as they stand do not address the accountability gap or make it clear what rights families have to challenge the system where it is failing. Children and families must be listened to and actively involved in all SEND Reform. We will continue to highlight the experiences of families and campaign on behalf of the people we support.
Lucy Croxton, our Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager
